“San Diego State Football–Stain”

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It was an ugly story, planted right there on the front page of the LA Times and the San Diego Union.and across the newspapers websites.

A gang rape involving 5-SDSU football players, last October, right in the midst of a record setting season for wins.

And the screaming headlines also asked the question, why SDSU officials had not opened a university investigation into a case that was nearly 8-months old?

Of course there is the devil in the details.

San Diego Police, conducting their own probe, had asked SDSU’s President and Department of Safety not to conduct an investigation until they were done with theirs. But here we are nearly 8-months after a 5-of-1 alledged rape at an off campus party, and the police have not yet charged anyone; no grand jury has been formed; and no university probe underway.

Brady Hoke, and the SDSU former head coach Rocky Long, run a no-nonsense program involving 105 student athletes.  There have seldom been problems with the kids they recruit.  An occasional marijuana social use issue.  A one time car accident.

No academic fraud, no robberies, no assaults, no illegal payments.  A pretty clean program up to this point.

But with rumors swirling thru the Athletic Center about 1-senior football player and 4-freshman being involved in this incident, we are entering into an area where this program has not been.

Brady Hoke has built a pile of currency in his days as head coach.  Not just wins, but academic standing within the conference, and putting players in the NFL.

But last year, Hoke was caught in two issues involving honesty.  Telling the media how good the SDSU Covid testing program was.  We only find out late tin he season that QB-Jordan Brookshire was sick, really sick, out for 4-weeks, all the while Hoke was telling us the team had no issues with covid..

And then late in the season, an outbreak of the virus among some of his offensive players, and no revelations till he spilled his truth to the CBS network after shutting out the local media for a week.

And now this issue, still to be resolved about the status of the players about to be charged.

Plenty of questions to be asked.  Why has no one been charged yet by San Diego police on what appears to be a serious case?

Why has SDSU not taken it on its own to start the probe itself now that so much time has passed.

And did Hoke allow these players to continue to play in games last year, where normal business has coaches removing them from the team activities, keeping them on scholarship, till the case is closed?

It sure seems that way.

Honesty is always the bhe best policy, even if the story has bad implications wrapped all around it.

Very disappointing news for a good football program.  Worse news if indictments are handed down with charges coming.

Sexual assault, protection of coeds, is pretty important regardless of whether you are at Alabama or on Montezuma Mesa.

It’s not going to go away just because the President of the University, a female, refuses to make herself available to the media.  She of all people would want to be proactive on this story on behalf of all the females on that campus.

I am all for following legal protocols.  But I am also in favor of the truth when the hard questions need to be asked and answered at San Diego State.

Has not happened yet.  Hate to see the shine on Aztecs football stained by the potential of this.  Gang rape is pretty serious stuff?

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